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What is Coleslaw?
The word “coleslaw” comes from the Dutch word, “koolsla,” “kool” meaning cabbage and “sla” meaning lettuce or salad. The word entered our English language from the Dutch in New York in the late 1700s. Since then it has been a featured side dish at almost every picnic or barbecue in America.
VIDEO! How to Make Coleslaw
Ingredients for Easy Coleslaw
We have homemade coleslaw at least once a week, usually with fish, and often with burgers or hot dogs. This coleslaw recipe (our way of preparing it) is ridiculously easy with cabbage, carrot, and onions gently mixed and coated with mayonnaise, a dab of yellow mustard (which by the way is just Dijon mustard with some added turmeric), vinegar, and black pepper.
Coleslaw Recipe Modifications
We also often make this coleslaw recipe without mayonnaise. Sometimes we dress it simply with seasoned rice vinegar. Sometimes we add some shredded green apple to the mix. You can easily adjust these coleslaw ingredients for your taste. (See links at the bottom of the recipe for more coleslaw ideas.)
Are you a coleslaw eater? If so, what’s your favorite way of preparing it?
More Easy Slaw Recipes
- Asian Coleslaw
- No-Mayo Coleslaw
- Broccoli Slaw with Cranberry Orange Dressing
- Hot Dogs with Spicy Kimchi Slaw
- Crispy Fish Tacos with Red Cabbage Slaw
Classic Coleslaw Recipe
If you are making a lot of coleslaw, it's easiest to use a mandoline to slice the cabbage.
However you slice the cabbage, you'll have an easier time of it if you cut the head first in quarters, from the top through the core. Then lay a quarter wedge of cabbage on its side and cut out the core.
Ingredients
- 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage (green or purple, or a mix)
- 1 carrot, grated on the large holes of a box grater
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar or wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more to taste)
Method
1 Assemble the salad: Place the cabbage, carrot, and onions in a large bowl. Add the dressing ingredients and gently mix so that all of the shredded cabbage is coated with the dressing.
2 Serve: Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately.
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Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family's recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
Classic Coleslaw
Love this recipe the only thing I don’t like is when I grate the carrot it is so wet on the video it looks nice and dry
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Hi Linda, I notice the same thing with my carrots–when I grate them on the fine holes of a box grater, they tend to be more wet. It could also be your grater itself, or a fresher carrot. If you don’t like the grated carrot that way, just pat it with a paper towel to absorb more moisture.
Brilliant. So easy and quick to make. Delicious.
So much lighter than shop-bought coleslaw – great for all sorts of meals, bbqs, light lunch, sandwich as not too much mayo, got to be far fewer calories than pre-made coleslaw. Mustard and cider vinegar just give it the edge on flavour. Will definitely make again.
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I used my food processor to grate onion carrot and cabbage. Great cole slaw!
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Excellent and easy!
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